ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Rick Porcello was laboring through a 39-pitch fourth inning here Tuesday night, loading the bases on two walks and a single before walking in a run, when Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell directed pitching coach Carl Willis to reach for the bullpen phone.
Call it a reflex.
Farrell has grown so accustomed to pulling his starters from games in the early innings that he nearly forgot to give Porcello a chance to work out of his self-inflicted jam. And no Red Sox pitcher has bent without breaking quite so well as Porcello, who is every bit as good at damage control as a presidential campaign strategist.